“I’m deeply ashamed by my own behaviour and I feel really bad.”
The Chelsea supporter caught on camera screaming insults at Raheem Sterling has denied racially abusing the England international.
The incident happened during Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at the weekend, with footage – which appeared to show the man calling Sterling a “black c***” – being widely circulated on social media after the game.
Sterling has since taken aim at the Daily Mail in an Instagram post, criticising the newspaper’s coverage of how he, and other young black footballers, spend their money, suggesting this “helps fuel” the racism we see in the stands.
Now, speaking to the Daily Mail, the man alleged to have racially abused Sterling has insisted he didn’t do so.
“I’m deeply ashamed by my own behaviour and I feel really bad,” said 60-year-old Colin Wing, from Beckenham, south-east London. “But I didn’t call him a black c***, I called him a Manc c***.
“I’ve been going to Chelsea for 50 years now and, because of where I sit, I’m picked up on the camera most weeks. If I had a history of saying this sort of thing I would’ve been caught by now.”
Wing has since lost his job and is one of four Chelsea supporters to have been suspended by the club.
“I want to apologise unreservedly to Raheem and hope he can be a better man than I am by accepting it.
“I offer him an unreserved apology. Even if it wasn’t racist, it’s not right what I said. Even the swearing is bad – but I got carried away.
“I was completely out of order, but I’ve lost my job and my season ticket now so everybody’s got what they wanted. So why can’t they leave me alone?”
Sterling is said to have spoken to police about the incident on Sunday morning, telling them that, despite Wing’s claims, he did hear racial abuse from the stands.
